Deal Breaker
by Tangarine
Summary: Target...Harvard. How Rory gets there is up to Tristan DuGrey.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Gilmore Girls or it's characters. **

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_"The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking." - Albert Einstein_

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"Sorry what was the point of this conversation?" 

I was in what is commonly known as a bad mood. It was two o'clock in the afternoon and I was sitting in science class, next to my lab partner Tristan DuGrey who was in my unbiased opinion an annoyance similar to that of an itch you couldn't scratch.

"Rory, you got to learn to lighten up, relax and all that." He was sincere in his comment.

Tristan and I went a while back when I started Chilton, there was this thing going on, not a love thing, more like he would tease me and I would hate him for it.

It ended after a little while, but only really after I found out he was caught doing something he wasn't supposed to and he was shipped off to military school.

Obviously the military liked him as much as I did when _I_ first met him and swiftly kicked him out.

Thus he was back at Chilton, pestering me again.

"Tristan, I really don't know how I could be relaxed when you are going on about some girl you met at a party when I've got some chemicals in my hand that if mixed incorrectly could possibly cause the evacuation of the entire school."

This seemed to catch his attention.

"No kidding?"

"No kidding. Now are you going to help me or not?"

"Of course, just tell me what not to do and I'll be your man."

"Please don't say that aloud again."

"Rory what did I say about relaxing? Now tell me what chemicals cause the evacuation?"

I put the two beakers of chemicals down on the lab bench carefully, gave him the most hateful look I could muster and raised my hand in the air.

The teacher we had this year was a balding middle aged man who cared as much about science as Tristan did about trying to get out of class. Mr Fredrick noticed my hand waving in the air and asked what I wanted.

"I need to go to the toilet sir," I said and glanced at Tristan who was looking over his notes with an aroused interest, "urgently."

This was the way my life went lately. I would be trying to do my work and I would end up being partnered with someone whose mission in life was to try and lower my grades.

Apparently it is going well.

It is my final year in high school and already I was starting to check out tech colleges as Harvard doesn't look promising. Unless I was to ace every exam and bring my grades up to at least an A+ rather then the B+ average I have now, it didn't seem likely.

I got the pass and bolted out of the class room.

I was half expecting to hear the fire alarms as I made my way begrudgingly down the hallway of the expensive and ultra posh high school. It was so posh they made us wear kilts with tights in the winter. Good look, but not so good when one needed the ladies room urgently.

"Rory, what are you doing skipping class?"

I turned and saw Mr Medina walking up to me with an amused look on his face, his hands in his pockets.

I liked Mr Medina, he was in fact my favourite teacher and that wasn't just because he was good looking with dark hair, dark eyes and funny. It was mostly because he was in love with my mother, even after she turned down his marriage proposal.

He was a good guy.

"I got a slip." I pushed my hand in my pocket and dug around for the little yellow slip assigned to the slackers.

He held up his hands and waved off my efforts. "I believe you."

"Good, because I got so much paper in my pocket it would probably take a good five minutes to find it."

He looked at me closely.

"How are you doing lately? I saw you in detention yesterday."

Paris's fault entirely.

"Yeah I know. I had some problems with my good friend Paris in English yesterday, other then that, fine."

"Yes, I heard about the little incident," he said with a laugh and I shrugged. "Well good. Just thought I'd check. Don't be too long we want you in class."

I raised my eyebrows and gave a weak smile. "Sure."

Class is not where I want to be right now.

Today is my birthday and I'm trying not to be all _sixteen candles_ about it, but I can't help but be a little shitty no one remembered.

When I made it back to class, I saw Tristan at the Bunsen burner looking very happy as he poured some strange coloured chemicals together.

He seemed to be doing well. There were no toxic fumes.

"What? You haven't blown up the school yet?" I said as I threw myself onto my stool and leaned forward watching the heated canister boiling softly.

"I was waiting for you." Tristan looked at me carefully, grinning.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

I don't know what possessed me to do it, it but I needed to ask. Asking Tristan of all people was not necessarily a smart thing, but I assumed that he might be able to help me.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"If it's to ask a derogatory question then no."

I smiled and tapped my workbook with a pen I picked up. "It's not."

"Then shoot."

I sighed and then just decided to spill it out. "Has anyone ever forgotten your birthday?"

"No." Tristan replied with no hesitation.

"Great."

"Why who's birthday was forgotten?"

He wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. He was too busy playing science nerd, which was OK because I needed to get an A+ on this and maybe with his new found interest, there might be a chance.

"No ones, it was just a question." I replied quickly, offhandedly.

"No one asks a question like that without it being specific." Maybe I said it a _bit _too offhandedly.

"Sure they do."

"Rory, they don't," my last comment made him turn to pay attention, which is not a good thing. He had eyes that could drill into my head and make me say things I don't really mean. "It's your birthday isn't it?"

"Maybe."

I wondered how he did that.

"Happy birthday."

"Thank you." I squeaked, stupidly grinning.

I latched onto a bottle he handed me filled with green stuff that I was too distracted to remember and turned it over in my hands, watching it for no other reason then to just do something.

"Now you know if you told people, then you can get over it."

He raised the safety goggles to the top of his head and looked again.

"No. I can't do that. It's sad, it's like telling everyone I'm not memorable."

He winked and turned back to our project. "I remembered you, those nights in the slave camp."

"Military school? Don't gross me out. Not on my birthday."

"Couldn't help myself. Anyway, what are you doing tonight?"

"Probably crying myself to sleep."

"Oh pipe it." He said with a snort.

"It's true. I'll listen to some sappy music and I'll be gone."

"Right well don't do that."

"Why?"

"Stand at your window at eight o'clock."

"Eight?"

"Yeah I don't know, I like the sound of it."

"Okay then," I said with a frown then forced myself not to grimace, "why?"

"Because, just do it."

"Maybe I don't want to."

"Oh shit." He said suddenly.

I jumped up and realised that he wasn't following the same conversation, when I saw some strange mist forming around our table.

"Oh god."

"Is it supposed to be doing that?"

"No," I screamed and covered my mouth with the hand that wasn't waving around nervously. "Tristan what did you pour in?"

"I don't know. That stuff."

He pointed to the green stuff in my hand and I screamed.

Loud.

Right when we were all being evacuated and I was handed another detention, it was right then that I realised that it was turning out to be a great birthday.

No one actually _remembered_ my birthday.

My lab partner almost managed to renderer the science class unconscious because I was being self involved.

We probably failed. In fact I'm pretty sure we did.

And I have to stand at my window at eight o'clock because I haven't caught Tristan yet to tell him that I don't think it is such a good idea.

Whatever that idea may be.

It's a Tristan idea. It had to be bad.

* * *

Sitting in lines on the oval behind the school is not the best place to be when it was cold. But on the bright side everyone did get out of class. 

As Tristan seemed to savour the experience, being buddy slapped at least twenty times in the minute or two I was glaring at him.

He was the king of the school at the moment, the minions of freshman kids looking at him like some sort of god and the rest mostly appreciative.

I was not appreciative...I was fuming. I felt like that burner in the lab and I was ready to explode.

There was no way on earth I was getting into the school of my choice now and why? Because of that golden haired guy sitting in front of me grinning like a clown.

I slapped the back of his head.

He turned and held the spot of assult. "Cut the violence Mary."

Mary was a name he called me when he felt like being abrasive. Like now.

"So it should you little shit. We failed that assisgnment because of you. How will that look on my college transcript now?_ Oh look Miss Gilmore had the school evacuated because of some toxic fumes concocted in chemistry. _Real nice."

He didn't seem to take her seriously. "Hey on the plus side, it's only Chemistry."

"Yeah and it's only my future."

The teachers had lined us in homeroom classes. I sat behind Tristan and Paris sat behind me and so forth in a long line until we touched the boundary of the Chilton gates.

There were quite a few rows and I was utterly ashamed of myself. Not to mention humiliated. Plus it is really hard to sit cross-legged in a kilt without the wind trying to show everyone what I was really wearing under it.

"Look don't look like homicide is on your mind. I can fix this."

"That's enough from you, academic destroyer, the teacher is taking the roll." I said.

Our teacher, Mrs Walters, took out the roll and started calling out names of all the pupils in our grade.

I felt a pull of my hair. I turned and grabbed my hair out of the hands of a girl who looked like she was ready to spew fire.

"Owe, Paris stop that."

"I was on a roll with my assignment. Now look where I am? Sitting in the middle of a dirty field having my name called out like a pre schooler. So what was the reason for trying to fumigate the school?"

Paris was a real bitch. She was my friend but she could also be mean soul. It was mostly because of Tristan that we became friends. She loved him, I hated him and somehow we just came to hang around each other.

Apart from the fact that we were both ambitious, she had the demanding, take no prisoners mentality and I had the don't hurt the kitty attitude.

"It wasn't me!" I said indignantly, "It was him." I pointed to the culprit who looked at Paris and winked.

"Oh figures." Paris said.

I scowled and said 'Present' when my name was called. Then I returned to scowl.

Tristan turned around fully and took my hands in his. "Rory seriously don't worry. I'll fix this, don't you worry your pretty little head."

Oh I worried.

"Oh and I'm still going to meet you at eight. We'll discuss it then okay."

I looked at him like he was crazy and I settled myself back down and recieved a tap on the shoulder from Paris who gave me the look of _'What the hell is going on?'_

It was at that moment, when I realised I was really interested to know what he was planning at eight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the character of Gilmore Girls.

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"_When things are steep, remember to stay level-headed" – Horace

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_

I glanced at the time on the computer screen. It read 5:01 pm and I was still within the confines of Chilton.

The library, dark and odour ridden was not my favourite place in the world but I was using the time to catch up on some homework and friends.

**PunkRocks:** Soooo why are you still at school?

_Stands with a fist_: Detention.

**PunkRocks: **Yeah, but that ends at 4:00, its 5:00 now you know.

_Stands with a fist: _I know but I'm waiting for Jess to pick me up at 5:15.

**PunkRocks:** Liar you just love school don't you?

_Stands with a fist_: Looooove it!

**PunkRocks: **Okay now's the time I'm going to ask why you were in detention?

_Stands with a fist_: Chemistry.

**PunkRocks:** Chemistry _again_?

_Stands with a fist:_ Yes…… I think I'm going to fail.

**PunkRocks: **Don't be stupid. You can't fail, you love chemistry.

_Stands with a fist:_ I'm going to fail. I can feel it. Bye-bye Harvard, it was nice dreaming about you.

I sat in the library at school with a few kids who either wanted to stay at school to study or who were forgotten to be picked up by their parents. Either way when we looked at each other we gave a little nod, as if was had some bond of understanding.

For me just finishing detention then finding out I either had to walk home or have Jess pick me up at a ridiculous hour was a tough decision. My car was getting fixed. Again.

After careful deliberation, I chose the ridiculous hour as it was too long a walk and I had a lot of homework.

So that was why I was talking to Lane, my best friend via MSN. I finished my English assignment and had a few spare minutes on my hands.

Lane was probably hiding up in her room sitting in her closet with a laptop on her lap; as her mother didn't know she owned the internet. How? I had no idea, it seems like a rather big thing to hide but Lane was incredibly good at covering up things from her mother.

**PunkRocks:** Okay now don't go on about something that hasn't even happened yet. Why would you fail?

_Stands with a fist:_ Lane…..there were firemen involved.

**PunkRocks:** You're joking?

_Stands with a fist:_ Not joking.

**PunkRocks: **Rory don't get depressed about this. It's only chemistry.

_Stands with a fist:_ Sounds oddly familiar.

**PunkRocks:** So are you cramming again tonight?

_Stands with a fist:_ I don't know, probably. I mean is there anything _different _about today?

**PunkRocks:** I guess not. I'll call you tomorrow?

_Stands with a fist:_ Okay then.

When I logged off the computer and walked out of the school library to the front gates of Chilton I began to get shitty again. I couldn't believe my only 'Best' friend had totally forgotten, just like my mother and my grandparents about my 17th birthday. It seemed so weird.

I kicked a lone stone on the footpath adjacent to the school driveway then slumped back onto some hedges as I thought about my predicament. My birthday, as much as I liked being remembered, seemed less important in the scheme of things when I was failing Chemistry. The more I thought about it the more I felt like someone was someone had grabbed hold of my stomach and was twisting it harder and harder.

I let out a jittery breath and closed my eyes.

"Rory," I heard before I fluttered my eyelids open seeing Jess parked in front of me and was surprised that I didn't even hear him pull up, "come on, get in."

I opened the door to the car and climbed in the passenger seat careful not to trap my kilt in the door. Feeling all stuffy in the the uniform I dropped my bag to my feet and feigned a smile. "Hi Jess, how was your day?"

"Obviously better then yours," he stated his voice deep as he shifted into first and began driving, "I'm not sure hearing about me helping out Luke at the café is going to whip you into excitement."

I sighed and tried to exhale the dreadful feeling that was still lingering in my body and shrugged.

"I had detention Jess," I said with a knowing look, "Anything is exciting to me at the moment."

He smiled as he kept his eyes on the road. "I think I'm finally starting to rub off on you."

I looked at him and a grin appeared on my face despite my stomach turmoil and I patted his shoulder. "It's okay, I forgive you."

We chatted about this and that and I was thankful that he could manage to divert my attention from my racing mind. Jess was gorgeous. He was dark haired, dark eyed with a tan all year round. He also belonged to a sarcastic abandon that was both devastating and intriguing all at the same time.

I was the first to admit that Jess was the worst to be in an argument with, but with that in mind he was the best to be backed up by. He was all logic and temper and when those two traits got together it was explosive.

He noticed me watching him from the corner of his eye because he turned to look at him, "What's up?"

"It's nothing."

"No, with that look it's something. What's going on?"

I breathed and couldn't come to grips with the fact that I was becoming a failure after trying to prove myself over and over again. Jess wouldn't care, he would tell me Harvard could go screw itself and that they were the ones missing out.

Even though I knew with certainty what he would say and make me feel one hundred times better, I also knew he would mull over it and end up being furious. Despite how much I wanted absolution I couldn't do it to him.

Not when he was in a good mood.

Good moods were rare when he worked at Luke's café. Being that he hated people, he was a waiter which meant customer service, which meant people, which added up to a bad mood.

"I was just thinking how much I love you." I smiled looking at his intense face, "what other boyfriend would pick up his delinquent girl from detention?"

"None."

I snorted. "I beg to differ."

"Getting other offers?"

"Maybe."

"And put up with you? Come on who are you trying to kid." He replied sarcastically.

Jess pulled up outside my house and switched off the car. He sat in the driver's seat with his black t-shirt and his dark jeans and I felt my heart race. I ran my eyes over his forearms and wondered when it was that turned me to lust over arms and hands.

Jess smirked when he noticed me checking out his arms, leaning over he wrapped them around my shoulders and drew me in, kissing my forehead.

I did one better and planted a kiss to his lips and the thoughts of school scuttled off to the back of my mind. I had a goofy smile as I pulled back and looked him square in the eyes.

"Is there anything you want to say to me today?"

A contemplative look appeared on his face and raised an eyebrow. "Rory, you're not getting any coffee….I'm not letting you OD on that stuff."

I groaned with the response and pushed him away. "No, it's fine."

"Rory," He chuckled and pulled back a strand of hair of my disappointed face, "spill it out."

"It's okay, really. I'm going inside to do some more homework and dream about the day when I don't have to do it anymore."

I hopped out of the car and threw my bag over my shoulder and slammed the door shut behind me. He sat there and looked up at me with a mix of amusement and frustration.

I waved him off as I made my way indoors.

Sighing I dumped my bags to my bedroom floor crawled to my bed and lay my head facedown on the pillow and stared into nothingness.

I thought about school and Harvard and the big possibility of not being accepted and I couldn't understand what I was supposed to do now. I had this dream _forever_, what was I supposed to do if it doesn't happen?

* * *

There was a knock on the door and I turned over and pretended I was asleep. 

It was my mom who apparently didn't care if I was asleep, jumping next to me on the bed and shook me until I acknowledged her.

"Hey kiddo, sorry I am late. Stupid work."

I looked at my mom and smiled weakly.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine." I mumbled.

"Why are you in bed?"

"Tired." I said simply looking at her."school and all that." Sitting up I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ears and let out a gigantic sigh.

My mom didn't notice that I was upset, or if she did hid it very well. She was a great mom, young but more then that, a young at heart. I guessed being only sixteen years older then me was the reason for it.

"Right well I'm out on a date tonight with your father, remember?"

I nodded, sure I did. It was only the most traumatic thing that could happen to me. It was fair enough that I was child of couple that were never married and separated when my parents weren't even technically adults yet, but the fact they were starting to date now was horrible.

Now that I was old enough not to need both parents.

Not that I didn't love my dad, or my mum for that matter, but it seemed a little cruel to parade it before me now, when I didn't really care one way or another.

I looked at her open friendly face and wanted to discuss my school problem but I didn't want to ruin her date so I pushed it aside.

"Well have fun; I'm going to lie here for a while." I said into my pillow as I flopped down onto my stomach.

"Are you okay?"

No.

"Yes, just go, have fun and don't drink red wine, it makes you go crazy."

She smiled and her blue eyes twinkled. "I know."

I looked at the clock when she ran off to try on some outfits. It was 5:45pm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Gilmore girls.**

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_No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently - Agnes De Mille_

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Flipping the page in my economics text book I continued on the section taught that day in class. Not only did I concentrate on just doing my homework assigned that day but made sure I went through all of the work covered for revision. 

My mom thought I was going a little too far, saying that she was the only mother in the world who had to stop her child from studying, but I knew what it meant.

It meant the perfect grades. It meant Harvard. It meant becoming a journalist.

Sitting back in my chair I thought for a second about my career objective and knew that even though I had never expressed my desire to be one, I had deep down always been fascinated by the thought of covering stories that mean something.

Things that people could discuss at home or at work, basically to show to the world something important.

I was pulled out of my temporary day-dream by a knock at the window and gleefully I ran to it.

Pulling back the curtains and pushed up the window pane, I raised an eyebrow at my visitor.

"I've got a question," I stated leaning out of my bedroom window to throw accusations at the blond boy from school, "how did you know _this_ was my window? Is there something you're not telling me?"

He smiled and hid something large behind his back. "Well hello to you too. So are you ready to go?" he gave me the once over and frowned. "I didn't realize we were living in Antarctica."

I looked down at my thick turtleneck, my scarf, thick blue jeans and tried to think of something imaginative. After a few seconds of lost comeback time I shrugged, "I don't want to catch a cold."

"_Right_...I'll meet you at the front." He walked away as quickly as he appeared.

Before he disapeared from sight I noticed that he was wearing a thick jacket, which was pretty odd for Tristan. I don't remember him ever wearing anything other then his school uniform or the odd occasions, Armani.

I followed, more curious then excited. I still had homework to do and since no one was in a party mood thought I might get it finished before the weekend came around.

When I appeared on the front porch, I noticed Tristan sitting on an antique motorbike in the driveway, an Indian by the look of it, giving me a grin that was saved for smoother times.

"Nice Indian, what year is it?" I said with a knowledge that seemed to take him back a peg or two, which was the exact reaction I wanted.

"It's a1953 Indian Chief, I see you know bikes. Alright now you can guess what I'm here for then." Tristan regained his confidence by running a hand through his short blond hair, which spiked up in a dishevelled fashion.

"I don't think so." I said after he held out a black helmet to me.

"My car is in the shop, so we're going to go for a cruise around town, the ultimate birthday present; a ride on the back of an Indian."

He was impressed with himself, I could tell just by looking at him. With that in mind, it _was_ a very nice bike; deep red and elegant.

"Cruising with you on the back on an Indian? After what you did at school today? I was thinking more along the lines of never talking to you again."

I could see by the way he sat on his bike, that incident was in the past and had no effect on his countenance what so ever.

"Rory, I wanted to take you out for a ride on your birthday, and actually I wanted to talk about that too," He stopped then decided to taunt me, "you're not scared are you?"

If there was one certainty in life, it was that I was not scared of motorbikes.

My father, who I saw on different occasions throughout my life, would do so by motorbike.

As a child I remember as he used to fix his motorbike in the driveway while I perched on the concrete watching.

Motorbikes were not the thing I was afraid of.

It was the rider of the motorbikes.

There were times when the Mariano inflicted temper flared and this was one of them. Without me even contemplating my feelings over the matter of the bike ride I found myself placing the helmet on my head and hopping onto the back without a word.

"Okay then, let's go." Tristan said staring the engine.

I wrapped my arms around his lean waist and I found myself biting my bottom lip wondering what Jess would do to Tristan if he witnessed this.

I had a feeling it wouldn't be nice.

* * *

In the darkness we rode down the long winding roads overlooking the river that ran through Stars Hollows. On the black road passing beneath the bike and the sound of the flowing dark water, I was contently satisfied that this wasn't such a bad idea. 

From as long as I could remember I had always loved the feeling of the wind brushing past my face and the absolute freedom that was always evident riding with my dad.

Pointing to a lookout ahead, I leaned over to yell in Tristan's ear for him to hear me through the rushing of the wind.

"Can we stop there?"

Tristan's helmeted head momentary turned and then shook yelling back to me, "I found a better spot just around this bend."

I held back any annoyance I felt and instead went back to feeling that odd sense of happy that I only remembered on the back of a bike.

In a split second, he was pulling the bike off the road through some wilderness which consisted of large bushes and scrubs that were having a jolly time of trying to attach their long spindly tendrils to my clothing. Tristan eventually found the spot he wanted, a part of my own town which I could honestly say I have never been before.

The bike halted and I sat looking over a cliff bearing down on the river beneath. I was impressed, I had no idea this was here and here was this guy who didn't even live here and he was showing me the grand tour.

With the bike stopped, I slid off the back and stood, hands on hips, peering at something spectacular.

"Let's sit over here." Tristan stated, walking in different direction.

I was starting to wonder if this was what he did when he took girls out; boss them around.

Despite my belief not to let any one guy tell me what to do, I watched as he perched himself on the edge of the cliff, legs dangling over the edge with a manner that was appealing perilous and I begrudgingly followed.

Mimicking his actions I realised that it was a good thing I was not afraid of heights, despite the view, it was a long way down. My long legs was held straighter then expected from the rush of air from beneath.

Hands gripping handfuls of grass around me for security, I turned to Tristan, "Thanks for the birthday present, it really is beautiful…but now I would like to know the real reason you wanted to meet me tonight."

"Yea of little faith," Tristan said with a raised brow then his mouth widen into a smile, "but then again; you do know me. Actually I have a proposition for you."

I scowled at him in vain, "I knew it."

"I know you want to go to Harvard and I was thinking today, especially after that little evacuation, about an idea of how you can do that with certainty." He stopped for a second, glanced at my mouth that had become pursed and added with a grin, "Consider it an additional birthday present on top of this birthday motorbike cruise…except of course for a very small payment."

The way Tristan had his head tilted up to the dark sky, the way his brow sat powerfully over his sharp and sparkling blue eyes I started to get the impression he had thought greatly about this payment. A nervous sensation sparked a jolt in my heart.

"I'm not sleeping with you Tristan."

He didn't look impressed when he snapped his head in my direction. "Is that all you think of me? You think all I want to do with chicks is sleep with them?"

I thought it over carefully and remembered Summer and all the other bimbo drones that he had paraded in front of me and nodded.

"Pretty much. Yes."

I was expecting him to tell me off but instead he grinned as he looked down the cliff ledge to the water below. "Partially true, but _not_ with you."

Snorting out a laugh at the statement I vividly shrugged. "That's very reassuring Tristan but you know even though this conversation is all very interesting, I don't think I want to have any part of a proposal thought up in that brain of yours."

I plucked a piece of grass that I was grasping on to, flicked it at him and watched him as he glanced down to it sitting on his shoulder, then to me with a expression that could only be described as unimpressed.

"How about I tell you _then_ you can judge?"

I sighed then motioned for him to continue.

"I can have us resit those last two tests in Chemistry." The smile on my face vanished as I listened, "My dad has some influence in Chilton, and I'm one hundred percent sure we can resit it with just a word from him. I mean really, it was entirely my fault that we missed the mark on the first one."

Not to mention the second.

I found that I couldn't speak straight away; too busy wondering why his dad would do that for me. Not being stupid, I could completely understand why he would do that for his son; but for me?

I narrowed my blue eyes. "Right, I get it. So now's the part where you tell me I have to pay you…what is it? Five hundred dollars? A few English papers? Tristan you are so transparent."

He chucked into the breeze. "Rory you are so small minded at times. No, I need a payment that actually means something, like perhaps being my girlfriend."

I almost choked on the air I had inhaled swiftly responding with the only thing I could get out, "What?"

Tristan screwed up his face, "Yeah I know, long story. To put it lightly my dad wants me to start mixing with the right type of girls; you know ones that actually have an objective that doesn't relate to shopping or parties. Basically I need a quick-fix-fake girlfriend to get the guy off my back."

"You're serious? Tristan that is so…_stupid_." I answered totally blown away with the conversation. It was not at all what I expected to hear the blond arrogance sitting next to me to say.

There was no indication in his body language that the statement offended him in the slightest, instead he just continued hang over the cliff with reckless abandon. "Yes…yes it is; but I'm desperate."

I raised an eyebrow, knowing that was the first and last time that I would ever hear that statement flow from his lips.

"Maybe, but we all learn to deal with our problems in a normal, natural way, this idea of yours is like a _freak_ of nature. With that point in mind Tristan…do you honestly believe people would believe _we_ are dating? Especially with the minor fact that I am already dating someone else?"

"Well obviously I wouldn't go parading it around. I have a reputation not to mention the fact that I'm seeing Cindy and Tanya. The arrangement would be a strictly family affair, which would get no further then you, me, my dad and any other family member that my dad may have contact with."

It was my turn to screw up my face. "Like your mom?"

Tristan grinned, "Actually you would be surprised."

"Well you know as tempting as it is, I'll have to think about it," I said dryly and then turned to smile without affection, "thanks for the birthday gift Tristan, really….taking me to a cliff top and making a proposition like that. If I didn't know any better I would think you were trying to have me killed."

He slapped an arm around my shoulder, "It would make my school life that little bit better, but then I would always miss our arguments. Look, just think about it okay? It would not only help your little crusade to get to Harvard but you would be removing a very large monkey that's clinging to my back."

_Little_ crusade.

"Great description," I ran a hand down my face, "when they say in movies, 'I need a drink' I can completely understand that now."

"Seriously?" Tristan almost laughed until he noticed how I was feeling.

Oh yes I was serious.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Gilmore Girls and have no affiliates to Blink 182.**

* * *

_Things are impossible until they're not – Jean Luc Picard 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'_

* * *

So it seems that that one drink got me in to more trouble then I had anticipated. It wasn't the cheap wine consumption that was the problem it was the getting home later then expected and then walking into an eerily empty room filled with streamers and balloons. A surprise party was planned using the whole sixteen candles theme but instead of being totally forgotten they were going to make it up to me by throwing a major surprise party. Well they at least had the surprise of me vanishing into thin air.

I was in major trouble with my mother but on the plus side, at least I knew she still loved me! Despite her anger at my night outing, thinking I had caught a movie, she still let me off without a grounding. Though I'm sure if she saw Tristan's bike it would be a different story. All in all though, me being a little self involved, I felt a whole lot better knowing that I wasn't an afterthought after all.

I actually felt good and I took the opportunity to spend my time with Jess.

"Jess you want me to go to Harvard don't you?" I asked, sitting against the headboard of Jess's bed in the room he had above Luke's diner, watching as he was flat on his back reading a book he held above his head, totally entranced by the black letters.

He flickered his gaze towards me at my question before lowering his book slightly. "Nope."

"Well it _i_s my dream. Harvard and..." I thought for a second, "going there."

He picked up on my hesitance about my non-descript term of study. No one knew what I was actually going to _study_ there, just that I really wanted to go. Jess discarded the book by placing it flat on his stomach as he moved his hands underneath his head, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

"You don't even know what your going to _do_ at Harvard. It's just a name to me, just like Mars or goddamned Pluto."

I looked at him cunningly, "But you can't got to school on Pluto or Mars."

"And freeze my ass off on those two lumps of rock? Who would?"

I sighed and tried not to smile. "Okay detracting from the current line of conversation, you would be happy if I got in right?"

"Well setting my selfishness aside, I would be okay about it but more to the point _surprised_ if you didn't get in," Jess lost the look of seriousness and a corner of his mouth pulled up into a grin, "Come on Rory, it's the third most important thing in your life after coffee and sex."

I blushed slightly and turned my head to the wall, "I don't talk about that. Name a time?"

Jess's brown eyes sparkled with interest, "Yesterday."

I scoffed at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

He nodded to me in all seriousness, "Yeah yesterday, you walked in from the cold with a scarf around your neck and your noes a little pink, leaned over the counter downstairs and said in that early morning voice of yours, the one still hoarse from sleep, 'Jess, I would like some of that extremely hot-"

I interrupted with a kick to his leg, "Coffee."

He grinned and picked up his book again, "Right."

Smiling a bit at his flippant nature I stared off into space, thinking about nothing in particular.

Him talking about the cold brought a white snowman to pop into my mind.

I remembered the horse drawn carriage ride that we had taken together, before we _were_ together, and how I had shown him the snowman that my mom and me created to compete in the annual winter snowman competition. And how next day, our direct competition had been conveniently destroyed. It wasn't the most conventional way to show that he liked me, but it worked.

"Okay what are you grinning about now?"

I snapped back to reality and noticed him staring at me. "Nothing. Just snowmen."

He shook his head, looking like he wanted to concentrate on his reading but finding it very difficult to do so. "Rory, you worry me sometimes."

I padded over to where he lay and punched his stomach lightly, "Look who's talking, have you thought about what you're going to do after I graduate? Your not just going to stay around here and serve the patrons are you?" I looked up to the ceiling, "even thought I know you just _love_ it."

He sat up slowly and looked at me closely, offering no indication if he was being serious with me or not, "I'm considering my options."

I raised my eyebrows. "Options? Oh really...please explain in detail."

"Well I think I should keep my options open, just in case I meet another beautiful brunette with dazzling blue eyes."

I hit him harder this time. "Dream on."

He grunted with stifled laughter as he held his stomach, the point of impact from my fists. "Calm down. I haven't decided yet. When I know, you'll be the first to know."

I begrudgingly retreated from my attack. "Okay."

"So aren't you supposed to meet Paris and the little person?"

I gasped and the air stood still around me, I looked at my wristwatch and groaned. I hated being late, and it looked like I was doing a good job of it. "Oh great, I'm running late."

"Rory, believe it or not; they are going to live."

Jess was mocking me but I had a had to disagree to his point.

"I'm not so sure about that. I don't think you've ever experienced the joys of Paris and Lane in the same room. Besides I like my friends as they are, being alive and well and not dead by fingernail puncture wounds." I stated as I climbed off the bed and started to pack all my stuff away for the meeting with the girls I had totally forgotten about only moments before. I scowled as I tried to find my belongings that were scattered over the floor.

Jess watched me and I could tell that despite my scowls and exaggerated sighs, he was more amused then anything else. "If it was me I'd just let them get on with it. It would rid the world of two lunatics."

"_Brilliant_ lunatics," I said before running over and kissing him hard on the lips. "See you later Jess, and you better start thinking about those options."

"Can't. Finishing this," he said pointing to the book in his hands that looked mummified by age.

I glared at him.

"See you later," he said when he noticed my look.

* * *

Lane, Paris and I sat in the booth at the diner that Paris requested. It was no where near as good as Luke's with coffee, but it did have a great looking waiter named Troy that Paris was obsessed with and the hot chocolate was good.

I had a hot chocolate and a muffin and Lane and Paris were having salad and a soda water. They were on this no carbohydrate diet that I had no interest in joining and they were looking at my meal with envy.

While we waited for the 'important thing' to get to Paris, we got to talking about things of limited importance, such as Clark Kent's sex life. I picked at my muffin and replied to Paris. Lane had been badgering her to watch Smallville for the last year or so and eventually Paris gave in to the demands and had watched five seasons _already_.

Paris wanted to know what was stopping Clark from getting down and dirty with anything in a skirt.

"Well he can't do it because he's afraid he might hurt the girl," I said grinning though a little embarrassed about talking about the subject so frankly considering talking about the same subject between her and Jess was a little more awkward.

I watched as Paris seemed outraged. "Why? He already done the deed with Lana already."

"But that was when he was a mortal."

"Oh, so what is he going to never have sex again?" Paris responded.

Lane was excited, this was her favourite topic. "Apparently he has to adjust his powers to new situations."

Paris could see no logic in our conversation. "Well why doesn't he try and see what happens?"

"Yeah and have a possible felony on his hands." I said taking another bite into my apple flavoured muffin and grinning at Lane.

"I wouldn't care! Please? Clark Kent." Lane said with a hand pumping motion.

"Well not everyone would _die _just to do it Lane." Paris responded.

I tried to keep the laughter down but I couldn't help but giggle.

"Why doesn't he practice?" Paris added a little after I had stopped giggling. Paris needed answers and Smallville was going to give them as quickly as the universe would soon upload all it's secrets.

I giggled again and added to the conversation. "That is so gross. But I guess he's always got his barn." I said scrunching up my nose at the thought.

"If that happened the show would turn PG to M15 in a matter of minutes." Lane added with horror.

"And if he did eventually do it again. Safely. What about pregnancies?" Paris said.

"Well the poor girl would have a super human baby who could kick a hole right through her stomach." I said as an afterthought.

"Well then he needs Supergirl." Paris said quickly, refusing to give up on the topic.

"Supergirl is his cousin."

"I'm sure if it was that or never doing it again, he would choose incest." Paris added.

Lane didn't seem to like Paris's comment and was visibly taken back. She spat out some water that she was drinking and looked from the water to Paris.

"Well that's just wrong. I could never imagine doing it with my cousin. They are so gross and they know everything about you."

"Superman never met Supergirl," I said with a superior knowledge through the movie marathons my mom and I had ever since I could remember.

"Well still, family resemblance? I couldn't." She insisted.

"No one said we would. But he's an alien for crying out loud Lane, what do you expect?" Paris badgered.

"Calm down Paris it's only a TV show." .

"Well I want answers and all I'm getting is more questions." This show was having an effect on her, was more wide eyed then usual and more angry too.

But apparently the rift between Lane and Paris seemed to be on hiatus at the moment which was all good news to me.

I looked up vaguely as the door to the diner opened and I couldn't believe it, even in a million different nightmare scenarios, when I saw the cocky guy walk towards us with a moneymaking grin.

"What are you doing here Du Grey?" I said dryly picking up our usual conversational banter when he approached, twirling my drink in my hands to distribute the chocolate evenly.

Paris looked around quickly and shouted at him to hurry up, telling him with all directness that he was exactly fifteen minutes late. I smiled inwardly remembering the exact words spoken to me only fifteen minutes before.

His blue eyed gaze drifted to my own and held it for a good three seconds before he regained his bored arrogant composure of slouching near anything female, which happened to be the seat right above Paris.

"I'm here to see Paris, what have you been talking about?"

Paris cleared her throat and raised her head. "Oh just shopping, I was thinking thinking of picking up something in blue and red."

Tristan looked bored.

"Chicks and shopping, is that all you talk about?"

"Yes. That's all we talk about Tristan." Paris snapped back looking to his hands, which I noticed grasped some long, thick paper, "So are you going to give me the tickets or not?"

Lane who had been quietly sipping on her water up until now, looked up quickly. "What tickets?"

"Belated birthday gift for Rory." She said in her usual factual way. "Here." Paris shoved them in my face and attempted to be joyous.

Lane looked from them, to me to Paris and she narrowed her eyes. "Nice one Paris, I already bought those tickets. I got four."

I had the greatest friends.

Paris crossed her arms across her chest and I saw her face turn a few shades redder, and I wondered if ducking for cover was a good option to consider.

"Well I've got four too. What the hell am I going to do with them now?" She snapped at me I felt victimized, It wasn't like I made them all go out and buy me four Blink 182 tickets.

Tristan interrupted and plucked the tickets out of Paris's hand. "I have a solution that is quick, easy and makes every ones life that little bit brighter. I'll take them off your hands."

The dark blond haired girl smiled slyly before snatching them back and waved them around to no on in particular. "Nice try, but these were hard to come by. I had to talk to a guy." Paris said knowingly.

Tristan feigned surprise. "Paris! That must have been traumatic."

"Shut up," Paris snapped.

I held up my hands. "Okay, okay, calm down everyone, it's tickets, not gold bullion." I tapped the tabletop and thought for a moment. Then clarity hit. "Why don't we give them to Louise and Madeline? I know they like Blink and then we can all go on an adventure. It will be fun."

"Like a road trip?" Paris said with dread.

I clapped my hands together and grinned like a clown. "Better then a road trip! It's right after exams so it would be more like a trip to the concert of our lives after the worst school experience imaginable. It will be like freedom."

Lane nodded to Paris, "Like a road trip."

Tristan was watching, his eyes shifting from each of us until it landed on me, eyebrow raised in amusement. "Louise and Madeline make up two, not four."

I visibly sighed and held up two tickets to him. "Well you did say you wanted to go didn't you?"

They were removed slowly from my hands as he looked me over. "Very nice of you Mary." Tristan looked to the door and I could tell he wanted to get as far away from us as possible. "I would stay and chat about what type of things I would like to buy but I've got some business to attend to."

"Wait I'll walk with you. I want to have a word."

* * *

We were outside and I had to put my hands in my pockets to keep the chill from my fingertips. Tristan didn't seem to bother with the cold, it was like it didn't affect him. I needed get a fresh slate for the new week. Tristan and my relationship was strange. I actually considered us really good friends now, not awkward or having to deal with any undercurrent of feelings. It was comfortable and funny as he was unpredictable. After he took me to the bottle shop and managed to buy a cheap bottle of wine with some unconvincing fake ID, we brown bagged it down the local park. I actually enjoyed the thrill of being somewhat bad and also of not actually being ignored by someone I knew.

I was turned to him quickly. "They actually remembered my birthday."

He smiled and nodded "Paris told me. Sucks that I spoilt it."

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. "Not your fault, if they weren't so sneaky about it all, it wouldn't have been a problem. " I shuffled from one foot to another and he looked at me curiously. I stopped quickly finally getting my mouth to agree to my decision, "Okay."

"Okay what?" He quizzed a smile emerging on his face.

"Okay, okay. I'll do this stupid thing as long as there are some ground rules."

The smile somewhat evaporated, which must have meant he didn't like the sound of those words. Which was fine by me. "Ground rules?"

I nodded my head slowly. "Yeah. No touching, no kissing, no bodily contact in the slightest. If anything like that happens it's a Deal Breaker."

Tristan rocked on the balls of his feet and snorted out a laugh. "Rory it's kind of hard to prove we're dating if you can't stand me touching you."

I knew that this was true and knew fine well that he wouldn't accept it. Which was what I had been secretly hoping for. "Well, there is no other way that I would do it." Not with Jess in the back of my mind.

"How about shoulder hugs?"

I stared at him. "Shoulder hugs?"

"You know, shoulder hugs and a peck for a kiss."

I couldn't believe it, he was negotiating with me. I was more surprised then anything else, and maybe a little worried. This was not how I saw this conversation panning out. I saw him saying something grotesque and disgusting. Not shoulder hugs.

"Okay...shoulder hugs but no kissing."

He looked into the distance, annoyed at me. "Rory, you're being unrealistic here."

I held my ground and raised my chin to the air. "I don't care. And it's going to be a trial, I want to see what I'm getting myself into."

He turned to me and watched me with narrowed eyes. I wasn't sure what was going on in that brain of his, but I could see it ticking over through the blue of his stare."You drive a hard bargain."

"So...what do you say?"

He held out his hand. "I say you've got yourself a deal princess."

I looked at it before taking it with some hesitance. "Okay."

"Okay."

We shook on it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Gilmore Girls characters used in the story.

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**

_Commonsense is the basis of true happiness – Sara Henderson

* * *

_

"So what do you think?" Tristan asked Monday afternoon at school, leaning against the locker I was about to open, staring at me. His eyes turned dark and serious with the question.

I expected this conversation all day and had prepared myself; I looked him over before pushing him out of the way so I could access my locker.

He grinned and I couldn't help but return it.

"So how is it going to work?" I asked more out of curiosity then actual want.

"I'll take you to meet someone that I've known forever. If he thinks we're serious, then it would work. Trust me, he knows me better then I know myself. Rory, you're doing me a big favour. Dad...monkey on my back? You're seeing the picture I'm trying to form?"

"Yes, vividly," I stopped for a moment.

In an instant I decided for once in my life I was going to do what I wanted. If that meant lying, cheating, stealing and killing...well maybe not cheating or stealing and okay definitely not killing but lying, yes I could do that. Deep down I already knew what I wanted to do, Harvard was my childhood dream and anyone who ever had a dream knows they are the hardest to give up.

I took his arm, "Alright we'll see how it goes with your friend. If memory serves me correct, you and acting don't go hand in hand."

"I'm the best." He replied indignantly.

"Tristan, I was there in rehearsals in Romeo and Juliet. You can't pull the BS with me."

"Right," he said with a smile, "thought I might get away with that."

"I'm like an elephant." I stated stuffing some books into my locker and picked up my schoolbag ready to get out of school.

"Grey and enormous?"

"No!" I said with a laugh and punched his shoulder, "more like I remember everything."

He did the ooh thing and smiled with mischief, "See that's why you can't ever be perfect."

I called Jess the minute I stepped out of school, my body tense as I spoke to him most unnaturally. Even to my own ears I sounded stilted and idiotic, telling him not to bother to pick me up; I was going to go to town with Paris.

Really I hated lying but I noticed that once I flipped the receiver of my silver cell phone, it didn't seem to stop me.

Tristan came up behind me, I could tell because he was the only person I knew who wore the scent of Crave to school. The same Calvin Klein fragrance I was trying to get Jess to use.

"You ready?" He asked.

I nodded, biting down on the fluttery feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. There was nothing that was going to stop me and that was that, my body just had to accept the inevitable.

Tristan steered me to the school parking lot, where most students who had cars parked. I wasn't allowed to drive my car to school, my mom didn't want me to go all the way here just to have my car towed back. It was kind of temperamental. That was why she had lovingly named the rust bucked Dean, after my first boyfriend. The one my mum despised.

"Hop in."

We came upon a blue Ford that I never realized belonged to him; maybe because it was a normal everyday car that I never suspected he would settle for. Sue it was new and shinny but ordinary, just like everyone else's.

For some strange reason I always assumed he would have an exotic, foreign car that was so expensive if sold could buy a small country. Clearly not the case.

"You have a Ford?" I asked trying not to sound too astounded.

"You're surprised?" He opened the door and climbed into the driver seat, leaning over the gear stick to open my door for me. "And it's without central locking, how's that?"

I couldn't help but stare at him, stupefied. "Okay, why?"

"I had a choice; I wanted to make a good one."

It made no sense to me but I opened the passenger door, climbed in and rested the heavy school bag at my feet, making note that there was a dense smell lingering around me.

"You had a girl in here recently?"

He frowned, "Now how did you guess that?"

I shrugged and looked out the window as he drove us out of Chilton's grounds to see some mystery guy, whose meeting was the deciding factor on all my future choices.

* * *

I shut Tristan's car door behind me and leaned against it, staring at the house in front of me. It was lovely. A cottage surrounded by roses, flowering cherry trees that was overhanging a paved driveway that took me straight back to the days of being read fairy tales. 

Tristan didn't stick around to marvel at its prettiness, he walked up the drive in the swift and assured steps that were inbuilt into his assertive personality.

I took my time and when I eventually reached him he had already tried the handle and opened the door for me.

"Are you allowed to just walk in like that?" I said cautiously. I was not looking to have a break and entering charge on top of the rest of my problems.

"Well he really can't stop me." He grinned and stepped into the house, "I am his pest of a brother."

I was gob smacked, this was the first time he ever mentioned a brother, which showed just how much I knew about Tristan.

"Oh right."

He really was full of surprises today.

"Come through, Rory." He seemed utterly relaxed and happy here and although he was usually a happy sort of person, I was miffed at how at ease he was with the surroundings.

I followed him through the small house as he yelled out the name "Corey" loudly a few times until I heard the heavy footsteps coming towards us.

For some reason meeting Tristan's family was worse then anything I could imagine, I twisted my hands in awkwardness and wished that I wasn't part of this dirty scheme anymore.

I wondered if Tristan felt at all guilty about this. Looking up at him saw instead a beaming smile.

"Tristan my man, what are you doing here?"

The two tall males bare hugged and I couldn't help but be blown away by how much Corey resembled Tristan, it was not only his strong leanness, it was the way his blond hair spiked up and his sky blue eyes shone.

I stepped back.

"Corey, you look like crap." He said pumping the back of Corey in jest.

"When you have to deal a two year old and a bastard of a business, I don't think you'd look crash hot either," Tristan's brother turned to me suddenly, as if just noticing I was there. His eyes narrowed but with the shine of his eyes I doubted it was bad, "and you've brought a friend."

I held my breath and forced a smile. "Hi."

Tristan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me towards himself sending a whiff of Crave right around me. "This is Rory."

Corey had a rag dangling in his hands from whatever he was doing before we barged into his house and he scrunched it into his back pocket of his jeans before holding out his hands.

"Rory…" the same eyes as her high school friend looked her over and a satisfied look appeared on the older version's face, "you're a real looker aren't you?"

I never considered myself beautiful, but knew I wasn't unattractive.

Having it said so frank and unexpected I couldn't help but feel the hot blood pulse through to my face. I shrugged, not knowing how exactly respond to the compliment. He was so much like his brother that it was scary.

"Well I just wanted to drop by say hello, and introduce you to Rory." Tristan explained.

The brother smiled widely and raised his two light eyebrows.

"Oh really?" he folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, amusement was apparent; "you're actually formally introducing me to a girlfriend? Rory not meaning to scare you, but this is a milestone in my kid brother's life."

I snorted. "You're not serious? He's never brought a girlfriend to meet you?"

That didn't make sense, he was all over the girls an school, I would have assumed that would have been the case _everywhere_.

"As serious as serious could be, this guys is the master of evasion." Then the brother offered us a coffee and I accepted because that was what I had been craving all day and continued, "You're actually what I expected his first to be, beautiful, soft spoken and I bet your smart too."

I laughed and glanced at Tristan who looked really uncomfortable all of a sudden, like he was thrown in front of live TV without knowing what the hell he was supposed to do about it.

"All that and more," Tristan scratched the back of his head, "look don't worry about the coffee Corey, we have to head off. I'll pop by a little later okay?"

Corey looked confused. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I just have to get Rory home."

I smiled and said goodbye a little humilated that we just bolted so suddenly. I met Corey for all of a minute.

I tried to catch up to Tristan who was practically running to the car like this whole trip ended up being a failure rather then success. He opened my the door from the inside and I climbed in, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Well that was weird." I said as I fastened my seatbelt, talking more about Tristan's actions then the get together with his brother, but he took it a different way.

Which was to be expected from Tristan.

"Lets just say I wasn't expecting that." He looked distracted as he started the car ready to pull out to the road.

I didn't answer; I kept on thinking about what his brother meant when he said _his first_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

_**All that we see or seem, i**_**s but a dream within a dream. Edgar Allan Poe**

* * *

Tristan didn't want to really talk to me on the way home but I persisted mainly because I was totally confused and I hated feeling like I was out of the loop.

"Tristan. I don't understand do you want me to do this or don't you?" I knew I was wearing a frown but that didn't stop me because I wanted him to know how I felt as my words weren't really sinking in. "I mean if you can get your dad to agree to the whole resitting the tests without me having any part of this little charade then I'm good with that though."

That got a little response from him. His lips actually twitched up a little.

"Looking for a way out so soon?"

I shrugged. "Of course. I mean Jess would absolutely and I mean thoroughly kill you. He would be kind of angry at me too of course. I'm trying to save your ass here."

He snorted a laugh as he drove watching the road, not even bothering to look in my direction. 'The little guy? Yeah I don't think that's going to terrify me for some reason."

I crossed my arms over my chest suddenly feeling quite angry and a little bit defensive. "He's not little. He's just shorted then average."

This time he looked over, his cheery blue eyes dancing again.

"Whatever floats your boat Mary. Though I gotta say you do like to change things up don't you. The first one was tall and lanky, now this one is shorter and stout. I give you kudos for not basing your boyfriends on their physical appearance."

For some reason I got the impression that was an insult.

"Hey they were, I mean, are good looking. So they are not your run of the mill everyday viking throwback." I paused deliberately, "like some, but they are better. They are unique."

This time he laughed. I could tell he liked vexing me. He always did it in school but I was still kind of pissed that he thought I had bad taste. I mean Jess was hot. He was smoking hot. I know lots of girls thought so.

"Anyway at least I don't go after guys who look they were just finished filming a part in an film made for mature audiences. If you catch my drift." I said referring to his history with females.

"Prude."

I flicked him in the shoulder and evened my tone. "So what was all that with your brother?"

I could see Tristan tense up again and thinking back I honestly couldn't understand why he was so upset. Nothing bad actually happened. Nothing _actually_ happened. It was like not even two minutes of polite conversation. Plus a little bonus compliment on my looks which I was still preening about secretly.

"Nothing happened. I just remembered I had to be somewhere."

Tristan's eyes were focused on the road as he drove me back to Stars Hollow. The beautiful trees that lined the street flew by as Tristan seemed to increase the acceleration in a desperate need to get me out of his hair. Obviously not too impressed with my prying questions.

If I was honest with myself I really shouldn't care what was going on with him and his family. I shouldn't. But my journalistic nature was always behind my never ending curiosity. Or nosiness as Jess always put it. I wanted to know what was going through Tristan's blond head.

"You are such a bad liar Tristan. Fine if you want to be that way then the deal is off. I can get into Harvard without that A in Chemistry." I said this with conviction but secretly I was petrified.

"Can you just drop it? We passed the test remember? If my own brother, the only person in my whole family that I actually consider normal believes us to be dating then the test is done. We have been given the green light. It's in the bag Rory. Just don't worry about anything else. A few family dinners over the next few months and your as good as family. And the giant clinging monkey will be detached."

I smirked at the thought of the increasingly larger monkey but made sure he understood my part of the bargain was not to be forgotten. "And the tests reset?"

"Of course. I'm talking to my dad tonight about it actually."

I studied his profile and wanted to shake his secrets out of that pretty little head of his but I put a smile on my face instead. 'Alright whatever you say Tristan. But you know what they say about secrets..."

Tristan frowned not enjoying my tone.

"I don't know...what do they say about secrets Mary?"

"They can destroy you."

This time he actually turned to look in my direction giving me a incredulous look. "That's not a saying."

I shrugged. "Well it should be."

* * *

That night I had a horrible dream. I woke up with my heart hammering and my eyes wide with fright. I was petrified. It took a while before I could process any rational thought but what I did know was that dream included me doing something I really shouldn't have, with none other then Tristan. I actually had a smutty dream! My first ever! Without my boyfriend present...

I was spending way too much time with Tristan lately. That was the only reason I could think of to produce that nightmare. Or maybe it was a combination of him and the conversation I had with the girls over Smallville. Yes it had to be that.

Stupid brain couldn't distinguish my love for Jess over my friendship with Tristan and the alien sex life of Clark Kent.

I felt the need to see Jess. I had a rush of panic flow through my body flushing it warm. It made me feel a little clammy in my flannelette pajamas.

If all was in black and white, technically people could say that I was doing something of the sort, cheating, with this whole Tristan proposition but I wasn't. I was well and truly with Jess. But my stupid dream made me feel that I was cheating. I kissed Tristan once before and I had no intention of doing it again.

My unconscious mind will just have to follow suit.

* * *

I woke Jess up by texting him a multitude of messages. Guilt messages you could say. The sappy stuff that I usually turned my nose up at.

Obviously it was a little over the top because Jess called me less then a minute after the three hurried texts went through.

"Have you been possessed or something? Not that I don't love little love notes I do believe you have lost your mind." Was the first thing that came out of Jess's mouth.

I sighed. "I know. I don't know what came over me, I guess I just needed for you to know that I really do care about you. I mean love you. You know that."

I could hear the throaty sound of early morning in his voice as he yawned. "I got that in your second message. Along with how fine my body was and how I was an amazing kisser" He added a little laugh and I felt a little embarrassed by it all.

"Yeah...I was tired and groggy and I guess sometimes I have no filter between my brain and my fingers" I slapped my hand to my forehead in mortification as that didn't come out exactly right. It at times like these that I wished I was a little less impulsive.

"I like it."

I was still a little shy but I allowed myself a soft laugh. "I'm sure you do."

"So what brought it on?" He asked and I caught the curiosity in his voice. I swallowed down a lump.

"I had a dream. It was a little R rated." I squeaked, though I omitted the part about him not being included in it, guessing he probably wouldn't appreciate it all too much.

I knew I had his attention. I heard his breath catch on the other end of the phone and then suddenly all I could hear was the load thudding beat of my heart.

He cleared his throat. "And how was it?" This wasn't exactly where I'd imagined this conversation going.

I bit my lower lip as I remembered all the details with a flush revival.

I massaged my temples and tried not to laugh into the receiver as I thought about how wrong this conversation was.

It was obvious that he assumed it was him and I was giving him nothing to assume otherwise so I was tried to be as honest as possible. Given the circumstances.

"Ahhh pretty good. I woke up a little breathless." True and True. God I was going to hell.

* * *

I took a walk. It was Sunday and the streets were very quiet. Everyone getting a little sleep in, a much desired rest after a full week. I wished that were me. But I was a little frightened about sleeping right now so I stifled down a yawn that was forming. I couldn't get back to sleep after waking up from that dream. I have been up since three and I seriously needed coffee.

I made my way to the closest shop that sold coffee. I usually was picky and only purchased my coffee from Luke's diner but today I was too tired to care and also I wanted to avoid running into Jess, especially recapping our embarrassing conversation this morning.

I walked in and waited in line to be served. A moment later I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Turning around I looked into the eyes of Tristan's older brother Corey. I froze.

Corey didn't notice my lack of movement or the stunned expression that would have been quite evident on my face he just smiled the Tristan smile at me and said a cheery good morning.

All the time I was thinking to myself that this was such a weird coincidence. And wondering why he was even here in Stars Hollows. And how this could seriously cause me problems.

My mind raced as I realized that I must look extremely rude so I shook my head clear of the hectic thoughts and smiled.

"Corey. Hey! I didn't know you come down to Stars Hollows. It's a bit out of your way..." Seriously what was he doing in my neck of the woods?

"I come down every second Sunday to visit the markets with the wife and child."

I bit my lip. Great thanks Tristan for omitting that little piece of information. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

He laughed. "Uh huh loads." Sarcasm was definitely a DuGrey trait then.

"So where is Tristan? I can't imagine him leaving you alone for a moment not when..." He stopped himself and instead of ending his statement just rubbed the back of him head. Just like Tristan did when he was uncomfortable.

I was now even more confused.

"Oh you know." I said struggling for something to say that didn't sound stupid in my half awake state of mind. "I'm an independent sort. I like a little time to myself too."

He smiled and nodded as if in understanding. Gosh he was handsome. I looked him over with hidden approval. I knew he was married with a child but hey I already had a raunchy dream about his brother, like my conscious even cared anymore. I picked up my coffee and said my farewells to Corey and promising him that I would be at their next family dinner. I knew Tristan would appreciate my pro activity in the scam. But in the back of my mind I still wondered what he didn't say.

What was the secret?


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Gilmore Girls.**

* * *

_True friends stab you in the front - Oscar Wilde_

* * *

'There is a time and a place for this Tristan.' I heard her say as if she was telling him off but when really she was giggling and winding hair around her finger like some chick from a bad 80s movie.

'I agree. Any time at my place.'

Suzy laughed in a way that I supposed was trying to be seductive but came off as plain annoying. Well to me anyway. It was gross. Where did he come up with this shit?

I was considering letting Tristan continue with his man-whorish ways but then I reconsidered as I had just eaten breakfast and didn't want to ruin my new shoes.

'Excuse me Tristan can I have a word?' I interrupted by stepping in front of Suzy who let out a exclamation of disbelief. Her long red painted nails ran through her sickeningly silky hair and I wondered why she was wasting her time with a guy that had probably slept his way through her entire posse. Was there something about Tristan that I wasn't aware of? I looked him over quickly and saw what I always saw. A good looking guy who had the morals of a tom cat. Yeah, I really just didn't get it.

'If you don't mind Mary, I'm kind of busy.' He said with an exasperated sigh and shook his head at Suzy as if trying to brush me off as a crazy person.

'Ahhh yeah. Rude much?' Suzy injected tossing her hair to the side and I hoped her brain didn't roll out of her ear in the process.

'Not much. Just a little.' I said indicating how much a little was with my fingers followed up with a humourless smile.

'Tristan I'll meet you in our usual spot.' Suzy ignored my comment but looked at me with disgust and stalked off in her ridiculously high shoes. Tristan and Suzy's usual spot was in the janitors closet doing something other then cleaning.

'God does she have _any_ self respect?' I snarled.

'Suzy's cool.' Tristan said quickly defending his latest conquest as he turned back to his locker to retrieve some books.

I watched him for a moment before I slammed his locker shut right in front of his face.

Tristan looked a little startled before his eyebrows drew together to create a rare frown. 'What's your problem?'

I pushed him in the chest. 'What's my problem? What's my problem?' I repeated, not believing for a moment that he didn't know what I was talking about.

'PMS?' He said looking a little pissed.

'Ah...no. More along the lines of hearing from Gerard Flipping Sanders that we were hooking up?' I cringed at the thought of anyone thinking that me and Tristan were actually doing what Tristan and Suzy do on a regular basis.

Tristan's eyes bore into mine but I couldn't read anything from the unusually hard stare. 'Flipping? You're seventeen years old and you can't ever use a proper swear word. I don't think anyone is going to believe that we have been randomly hooking up Rory.' He said with disgust in his voice.

I scoffed at him. 'Well Gerard certainly did. He actually had the audacity to ask me how I felt after giving up the V card. Why would he say that Tristan? What have you said to people?'

'Nothing! They probably saw us outside of school one day. Big deal Rory, so it's a rumour and to be honest not a very convincing one.' He looked me over and I saw the beginning of a smirk. 'So what did you say back to him?' he asked a little amusement creeping into his voice and wanted to smack him in the face for it.

I stared up at the ceiling and clenched my jaw before turning back to him. I could not believe his flippant attitude to this mess. 'Well lets see, after denying vehemently that me and you never hooked up and him giving me a look that clearly meant he did not believe me, I said you had a wiener the size of a toothpick and I obviously didn't feel anything.'

I stalked off down the hall before I could see the shocked look that I know would be plastered on his face. His reputation of being a "great" lover was probably the only reason why half the female student body was attracted to him in the first place. I can imagine he wouldn't be very happy with my description of his sexual weapon.

Before I knew what was happening I was spun around by a hand gabbing my wrist and ended up looking directly into Tristan's clear blue eyes. His face only inches away from mine. I could actually feel his breath on my face. And smell it too...spearmint. Most of the girls in this school would love to be in this position. I didn't however when all I saw was him looking at me like I lost my mind.'You said what?'

'Listen Tristan. This little deal we have...when is it actually going to start to work in my favour? It has been almost two weeks, I haven't met your parents despite actually practically inviting myself over. I even organized it with your brother for crying out loud! If you don't remember why we are doing this I'm happy to jog your memory. Your dad and my test and Harvard? Remember now? God what has gotten into you lately?' I snatched my wrist out of his grasp and impossibly I glared even more then I already had been. ' Is there something your not telling me?'

In the span of thirty seconds Tristan had gone from annoyed to bored. He didn't even have the decency to look at me.

'Like what?'

I heaved my shoulders up and threw my hands in the air. 'Like...I don't know. What are you waiting for?' I said irritated at his weird behaviour ever since this stupid deal was struck. I once called Tristan a friend but at this precise moment I don't know what I could call him, besides A Hole that is.

'I'm sorting it out.' He snapped focusing on me. Again his face unreadable. I wondered if I should mention that this thing was his idea and not mine. I was starting to wonder if Harvard was really worth all this work.

'Really? That's nice to know Tristan. Well while you are busy sorting out god-knows-what please tell me how I'm supposed to explain this to Jess if he somehow hears that I am hooking up with the schools man-whore?' I almost shouted this at him. I saw a few students that were making their way to their respective classes glance at us in curiosity.

I tried to ignore them as I pulled Tristan to an empty doorway.

'Rory, I'm not going to give you relationship advice. I don't care about whats-his-face or what he does or does not believe.' He started walking away from me but then snapped back around and gave me a filthiest look I have ever seen on his face. 'Rory I'm a little insulted that that is all you think of me. I actually had the idea that you were my friend.'

He stormed off before I could respond.

* * *

I didn't go to the cafeteria for lunch today, instead I retreated to the safe comforting surrounds of the school library. I was still humiliated that people think I've actually had sexual intercourse without being in any sort of long term relationship. I was a child born to teenage parents...like that was ever going to happen! Though I knew the main reason was that I didn't want to see Tristan.

Not for the reasons that I wanted myself to believe. I knew I didn't want to see him because he was causing unnecessary drama in my life. I didn't want to see him because he was making me fail in Chemistry. I also didn't want to see him sucking face with Suzy or any of the schools preppy cheerleaders.

No, I mainly didn't want to see him because I didn't want to relive the look he gave me before storming away from me. Tristan _never _looked at me like that. He usually gave me flirty smiles, sarcastic grimaces, wry grins. Never disgust and hate.

I groaned and ran my hands over my face to try and remove the memory from my mind.

'What are you doing out here tramp?'

I snapped my head up ready to argue when I realized that it was only Paris who was walking towards me.

'Argh not you too!' I groaned loudly. Loudly enough to have the librarian shoot me a warning look.

'Please! Like I believe that drivel. I'll repeat myself as you refused to answer my question but what are you doing hiding out in the library?'

I picked up my little paperback and waved it in front of Paris's stony face. 'Reading, what does it look like?'

Her prickly stare was usually enough to frighten me into confessing but not today. 'It looks like your running away from confrontation that's what it looks like. Tell me I'm wrong?!'

I put the book down neatly on the table and smiled. 'Wrong.'

'Liar!'

'So what!' I hissed. 'I don't want to go in there, I can just hear what they are all whispering about me. How humiliating. I cannot and will not do it!'

I realized I sounded like a five year old but I would do anything to make this go away, if that meant hiding until graduation then so be it.

Paris crossed her arms over her chest in a display of dominance. 'Oh yes you will Rory. I don't have cowards for friends.' She narrowed her eyes at me. 'And so what if people think you banged Tristan, who cares if they think you banged the whole football team for that matter. What difference does it make to them? It's just something to keep there boring mindless existence somewhat entertaining.'

'At my expense!' I exclaimed.

'Pftt like you talk to any of those gossips anyway.' She said it as if that made it any better.

'If it were you in this position I know you would be here sitting in the library. Burying your head in the sand...or books in this instance.' I pointed out to her.

'No, because I would expect you to be the kind of friend I am and make me face up to them and show them that they are not only wrong but they can't break me.'

I sat for a moment and tried to suss her out. Paris had a hasty way of talking that made complete and utter sense and for a moment she had me convinced. For a moment. Then it passed.

'Yeah still not going in there.'

Paris sighed and started using a voice she only used on children. 'If you don't show up, people are going to think that you are avoiding the situation because it actually happened. By not showing up you are admitting your guilt. You are basically telling the school that yes you hooked up with Tristan and you are too embarrassed to show your face.'

'Oh no no no.'

'Oh yes yes yes. Look at Summer. Remember when she hooked up with Taylor from the baseball team and he told the whole school that he had hit a home run but she denied it?'

'Yeah.'

'Well when she started avoiding social settings what did you honestly think?'

I rolled my eyes I knew where she was headed with this. Summer had an unfortunate "supposed" affair with the Baseball stud and forever labelled, to put it mildly a strumpet, especially after she had once dated Tristan. Though she had apparently sworn an oath to Paris that it wasn't true. Before today I was still in two minds when people discussed it. Now not so much. 'Ahhh fine, but if anyone says anything...'

'Don't worry. I'll protect you.' She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my comfortable chair, proving to be a lot stronger then her little frame depicted.

We walked together into the cafeteria though it felt more like the green mile as I could feel all eyes on me. Though in reflection that was what happened everyday I guess, people had to look somewhere. I held my head up high and collected my food and somehow managed to each my lunch in peace. No one said a word.

The funny thing is though that Tristan was no where in sight.

But then again neither was Suzy.

* * *

I declined watching Sixteen Candles with my mother that night. The thought of that movie made me a little ill. Especially when I had a guilt ball the size of a flipping dinosaur wedged in my stomach. I was obsessing over how horrible I was to Tristan. I was only in this state because I told Paris what happened and she called me a bitch. The statement wasn't unusual for her but it kind of hit me harder then normal because I realized that it was true. It wasn't like Tristan spread that rumour and I was so horrible to him...

Instead I lay in bed looking at the wall trying not to think.

I couldn't read because my mind couldn't concentrate. I couldn't watch TV for the same reason. I couldn't even bring myself to call Jess because he would sense that something was wrong with me and demand to know what the reason was.

While I lay feeling sorry for myself my phone sounded that I had a message. Reaching across to the bedside table I picked it up, expecting it to be from Jess wishing me a good night. It wasn't though. It was from Tristan.

I sat up quickly and opened the message. A little nervous about what he was going to say to me.

**Okay Rory dinner on Saturday night at my folks. 6pm. Don't be late.**

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

**Fine.** I typed back.

Though his message was short and not very friendly, he was still talking to me and that was a good sign. Though I had to ask myself why I was so worried. It wasn't like he was that close a friend. I have lost a few friends over my lifetime and I had never felt as awful as I had the thought of losing Tristan.

Tristan though he was a womanizer, he also made my life bearable at Chilton. He made me laugh, kept my sarcasm at it's peak and he kept me from over thinking everything. I guess I needed him in my life.

I would never tell him this of course, however I made myself promise that I would apologize the next time I see him for calling him a strumpet. I couldn't stand the thought of him not pestering me at my locker or in class or smiling at me the way he never did to Suzy the blond cheerleader.

That smile for me was mine alone.

I couldn't lose that.


End file.
